How to Light a Fire With One Match

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If you are short on matches or just can't afford to waste one, learn how to build a very big fire with one match!

Find a suitable fire area. If you do not have a man-made fire pit, clear an area of all flammable material 3 feet (0.9 m) in diameter. Then dig a hole 10–12 inches (25.4–30.5 cm) wide by 6 inches (15.2 cm) deep. This is your fire pit.

Find suitable tinder. (Charred cloth, birch bark, dried leaves/grasses, or other airy and fine materials are great. If you can find nothing dry, use bits of your own clothing, the contents of your wallet or purse, or anything which you may have on you which will take fire.)

Other tinder materials:

Dry milkweed fluff (found in the fall)

Paper gum wrappers

Frayed wooden stick

Dried moss or lichen (found on the ground or on rocks)

Pine bark or pine needles (very flammable)

Pine cones

Cotton ball, may have Vaseline, chapstick (it's mostly wax), or alcohol on it to help it burn

Don't use paper matches (the ones that look like thin cardboard). They burn out very easily. Use wooden ones. But if all you have is paper, don't give up; use them but remember they burn out more easily.

Community Q&A

First, create a pit and place large logs in a square formation as the base. Next, fill the bottom with small and medium sticks. In the center add kindling, such as paper, which you need to then cover with very small sticks. Light the kindling with matches and feed the fire as needed. Be sure to have water and a shovel on hand.

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 43,673 times.